L’histoire des services secrets et du renseignement au Cameroun (1960-1982)

Abstract

Existing in Africa in general, and in Cameroon in particular, before contact with the first Europeans under the guise of (UPC) movement and the ensuing repression. These revolutionary ideas led to violent socio- political unrest, resulting in the party’s banning from Cameroonian politics chieftaincy militias, secret and intelligence services developed in Cameroon within a specific context. In the aftermath of the Second World War, revolutionary ideas emerged in French-dominated Cameroon with the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon. Forced underground, the party pursued its agenda. The new leaders, having received France's blessing to govern Cameroon, considered the UPC a designated adversary that had to be neutralized. Under the pressure of these events, the need for information became apparent, and the new regime was rightly concerned about the revolutionary ideas espoused by UPC militants. These authorities then established military and security agencies. It is in this context that the secret and intelligence services emerged. This study focuses on the following question: What are the underlying dynamics of evolution in the history of the secret and intelligence services from 1960 to 1982? To answer this, we employed a historical method, conducting an exhaustive collection, rigorous comparison, and in-depth thematic analysis of primary and secondary sources, using a hypothetico-deductive approach. This approach allowed us to observe that the structural and organizational evolution of the secret and intelligence services from 1960 to 1982 was driven by President Ahmadou Ahidjo's desire to strengthen national security in order to contain the UPC threat across the entire national territory, on the one hand, and to promote development in all areas of national life, hence the need for human security intelligence, on the other. It is important to adapt the policy of the secret services and intelligence to the socio- cultural and anthropological realities of Cameroon in order to build a strong nation.